Bottlestone is a solid surface material designed as an alternative to stone. Made from 80% post-consumer recycled glass, Bottlestone is suitable for a variety of commercial and residential horizontal surface applications, such as countertops, tabletops, and fireplace hearths.
Bottlestone is manufactured from post-consumer glass using a flexible process that allows the inclusion of a wide variety of sources, such as fluorescent light bulbs or waste door and window glass. Because no special cleaning is required, water use is minimized during fabrication - unlike the recycled glass found in some concrete countertops.
Bottlestone also compares favorably to stone and brick in terms of embodied energy and strength. A one-inch thick Bottlestone paver, for example, requires 9,800 BTU/SF, as opposed to 26,750 BTU/SF for a Portland cement paver or 20,000 BTU/SF for a clay paver of equivalent strength.
The material's natural finish has a smooth, slightly polished or honed appearance. A granite sealer or other stone wax can be applied, and Bottlestone may also be polished to achieve a high luster. [Contact:
FireClay Tile, San Jose, CA.]
Labels: 12, glass, repurposed, solid surface
The management of storm water runoff has become a significant environmental and economical challenge in cities. Conventional drainage systems are designed to carry water great distances to large municipal sewer systems. Moreover, storm water is often combined with other sewage, resulting in a significant quantity of waste water that must be processed by overtaxed facilities.
Permapave attempts to address the storm water problem at the source. By allowing storm water to pass through paved surfaces, pressure on local pollution control facilities is reduced while underlying water tables are replenished with much-needed groundwater.
Developed in Australia and New Zealand, the bonded, natural-stone permeable pavers provide a simple and attractive solution to eliminate 100% of gross pollutants with a flow through rate of up to 7.5 gallons per second per square foot. The non-slip pavers are also strong enough to support light traffic areas, such as parking lots, driveways and bicycle paths.
Installed similarly to traditional brick pavers, the durable two-inch-thick material can also be specified as a storm water filtration system. When used in conjunction with a Permapave curbside or footpath bio-retention system, the Permapave system can filter up to 60% of phosphorus, 70% of heavy metals, and 98% of hydrocarbons from storm water, eliminating pollution before it permeates the ground. [Contact:
Permapave Industries, LLC, Syosset, NY.]
Labels: 32, infrastructure, intelligent, paving, stone, water
GreenPix is a solar power-harnessing, light-emitting facade system designed by Simone Giostra and Arup. Integrated with the curtain wall of the Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing near the site of the 2008 Olympics, Greenpix features the largest color LED display on earth.
Greenpix behaves like an organic system, absorbing solar energy during the day and generating light from the same power that evening. Polycrystalline photovoltaic cells are laminated within the glass of the curtain wall and placed with changing density on the entire building’s skin. The density pattern increases the building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program, while reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall. [Researched by James Lu and Eric Phillips / Contact:
Simone Giostra & Partners, Inc., Dumbo, NY]
Labels: 08, glass, light, transformational
Bottlestone is a solid surface material designed as an alternative to stone. Made from 80% post-consumer recycled glass, Bottlestone is suitable for a variety of commercial and residential horizontal surface applications, such as countertops, tabletops, and fireplace hearths.
